Freedom's Stain
by Peppermint Clouds
Summary: There was a war approaching on the horizon, unlike anything they had ever fought before. Astrid had been prepared to fight for her people's freedom, but she hadn't known that the stain of that freedom would be the blood of her best friend. [Rated M for sexual content. One shot.]


**Author's Note:** This is just something that has been sitting on my AO3 account for a few months. It hasn't been through a beta reader and was a split-second idea, so it's nowhere near perfect. I haven't written a lemon in quite a while, so I'm a little rusty. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own _How to Train Your Dragon_

 **Warning:** Contains sexual content

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Astrid didn't remember the hot summer sun shining down on her that day, or the whispers that followed her through the village as she carried the wash to the stream on the edge of the forest. No, she remembered nothing before seeing Ruffnut's thin, exhausted form leaning against one of the tall oaks, her eyes swollen with fresh tears. She was so different than she had been just seven years ago, running around the Kill Ring, waving a rusted sword. Motherhood and marriage had bolted weights to her shoulders. In that moment, looking into her childhood friend's eyes, she knew exactly what had brought Ruffnut to the clearing. She could see the pain behind those grey eyes; could see the way they darkened like the sea during a vicious storm.

"No…" she whispered, letting the blue tunic she had been washing slip through her fingers. It fell into the stream and was pulled away by the water, but was forgotten a moment later when Astrid raised a trembling hand to her mouth.

Ruffnut nodded slowly. "Snot, h-he…I didn't…I was so scared, Astrid. I couldn't-"

"Oh Gods," Astrid cried. She pushed herself to her feet and rushed passed her friend. "No. No, I have to find him before it's too late-

"H-He hasn't left his house since he made the announcement," Ruffnut said.

Astrid didn't look back at her friend as she ran towards the village, pumping her legs as fast as she could. Adrenaline and cold fear mixed and shot through her veins like ice water. She narrowly dodged a woman pulling her two children along and ducked under a cart, deaf to the angry cries and insults thrown at her as she did so. There it was. The Chief's home. Astrid could see Toothless' sleek black form curled in front of the door as it grew closer and closer, the village in her peripheral vision fading to black. Her boots pounded against the stone steps as she jogged up the small hill, her lungs begging for the breath she just couldn't catch.

Toothless jumped out of the way once he caught sight of his rider's mate barreling toward him, his head lowered and his ear plates pressed flat to his skull. He warbled sadly to her and retreated to the stable at the back of the house. Astrid threw the door open and marched inside the house, her chest heaving. She sucked in a deep breath as she scanned the large room. Her eyes softened when she spotted Hiccup, hunched over in a chair by the fire pit in the middle of the room. His face was buried in his hands, but the creased the lines of his forehead and the way his hands trembled told her all she needed to know.

"Why?" She heard herself ask, not knowing if she had spoken until the word was out. Hiccup instantly straightened and turned.

"Astrid, what are you-"

"Answer me!" Astrid demanded.

"I… I didn't have much of a choice Astrid, you of all people should know that. I have to do what's best for the village, for my father, for you-"

She shook her head and leaned against the wall. "No, we need you here, Hiccup. Who will take over if something happens to you? Did you ever think about that?!"

"Snotlout is next in line. I'm sure he would be honored-"

"Ruffnut told me that he's going with you. Without him, there is no one. No one!" she shouted. "And I… I just… what do you want me to think, Hiccup? Just yesterday you told me that you wanted to start a life together. And now you're running off to fight in a war," she said, her sight beginning to blur as tears welled up in her eyes. Hiccup took a step closer and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I-I know it's a lot. And… I'm scared too. But I have to do this." Astrid shook her head and clutched fistfuls of his green tunic in her hands, needing something to anchor her down to reality.

"No. No, y-you can stay here with me. It's safe here-"

"You know I can't, Astrid," he whispered.

"Please," she sobbed. "Please, I love you. I need you here with me! You can't just leave like this…"

Hiccup kissed the top of her head. "I love you too," she heard him mumble against her hair.

"Then why won't you listen to me?" Astrid asked. She blinked away the wetness in her eyes as she looked up at him, struggling to regain her composure.

Hiccup frowned and swiped his thumb under her eyes before kissing her forehead. His own eyes were glazed with tears as he pulled her closer, his voice hoarse when he spoke, "I love you so, so much."

A shaky breath left Astrid's lips. "H-How long until…?"

"Almost an hour. Eret wants to make sure that every able fighter is coming with us," Hiccup said quietly.

Astrid pursed her lips and glanced out the window behind him at the descending sun. "Then I'm coming with you. It's enough time for me to run home and grab a few things. We could be on the ship-"

"No."

She pulled away slightly, surprised by his response. "I'm one of the best fighters you have, Hiccup. You would be an idiot if you didn't let me come with you," she growled. He shook his head and trained his eyes on a spot on her tawny rabbit fur hood.

"Then I'm an idiot, because there is no way in Hel that I'm letting you get on that ship."

Astrid's eyes searched his face for a sign that he was joking, and when she found none she scoffed weakly. "Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound right now? You have got to be joking!"

Hiccup shook his head again. "No, Astrid. I need to know that you're going to be safe."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not a child, Hiccup. You can't just keep… leaving me behind!" She said.

His eyes finally climbed up her face to meet hers, and oceanic blue clashed with burning emerald. "I-I'm sorry. But Astrid…I can't let you come with me. I need you here in case they decide to turn back and attack Berk," Hiccup said.

Astrid swallowed the thump in her throat and took a deep breath. Tears rolled down her cheeks in rivers as she spoke, "I just…I-I can't lose you too, babe."

For a moment, it was only them. There was no war threatening to rip him away from her so soon after she had realized just how serious the chemistry between them had developed. Only the two of them in the main room of his home, lit by only the warm orange and pink streaks of light cascading across the floor.

Hiccup closed the distance between them, and his lips molded perfectly against hers. Their tears mingled as their lips moved, their hands mapping every curve and flaw of the other's body. Astrid panted softly as she pulled back. She nipped his bottom lip before capturing his lips in another kiss, her fingers slipping into his hair. At the moment she wanted nothing more than to feel his body against hers; to forget that the outside world existed for just a short while before she was forced to let go. Her hands started to pull at one of the straps crossing his chest, only for him to grasp her wrist and break the kiss a moment later.

"Astrid, we can't," Hiccup whispered, his breath was hot on her skin. His half-lidded green eyes had been made a shade darker by lust.

"Please…I don't want to remember you like this…leaving me to go get yourself killed…" Astrid pressed her forehead against his and sucked in a shaky breath. "Please babe," she pleaded.

He pecked her lips and pulled her closer. A watery smile found its way to her lips, her hands resuming their work on his armor. One by one she unbuckled the straps and helped him slip the armor off before dropping it to the floor, his tunic following not long after. There was a fire raging inside her as they kissed and explored each other's bodies with their hands, a fire that could only be soothed by his touch.

She moaned when his hand ghosted over the underside of her breast on its way to her neck. Astrid lifted her arms so that he could pull her red tunic over her head. His hands were on her bare skin the second it touched the floor. His thumb toyed with the waistband of her leggings as she pulled his bottom lip between her teeth and sucked. His hands fell to her hips and pulled her into him, a low groan escaping him when she rocked her hips. He broke the kiss to press his lips to her jaw, his fingers finally slipping beneath her waistband. Astrid grabbed his hands and guided them to the knot of her breast bindings. She removed the leather tie holding the end of her braid while he untied the knot. The fabric unraveled and fell away to join the growing pile of clothing.

"We don't have much time," Hiccup said.

"Unless they come in here looking for us, they can wait." Astrid placed her hands on his shoulders as she stepped out of her fur-lined boots and kicked them away. She pulled him down to the floor with her. Once he had removed his boot, she reconnected their lips, desperate to make sure that she never forgot how he felt and tasted in that moment.

Hiccup hooked his thumbs into her leggings and slowly peeled them down her legs. She kicked them away and reached for him, only to end up on her back. She could only watch as he finished undressing and crawled over her. Hiccup hovered over her, one hand resting beside her head and the other on her hip, his emerald eyes glowing in the fading evening light. He kissed her forehead and both of her closed eyelids before taking a deep breath and thrusting inside her. Astrid bit her lip at the sudden bolt of pleasure that shot throughout her body. It had been so long since they last had a moment away from the eyes of the village that she had almost forgotten the sensation and the way it made her toes curl.

She gasped when his lips wrapped around her nipple, and her hips bucked off of the floor. A soft sigh left her lips when his tongue swirled around the rosy bud. His bright eyes found hers as he switched to her other breast. Astrid could feel the fire in her belly grow hotter as his gentle thrusts became quicker, pulling a soft moan from her lips. Her fingernails scratched over the freckled skin of his back as she struggled to match his rhythm. Hiccup groaned, feeling her velvet walls contract around him and pull him in. His breath grew harder and harder to come by as he lifted one of her legs and she locked it around his hips. They both gasped as he pushed deeper into her, the fire growing to an almost unbearable height. He pressed his face into her neck and inhaled her sweet scent, not ready to let it end so quickly.

There were no words needed to voice the love they felt for one another in that moment. Her fingers dug into his shoulders when he ducked his head to leave a hot kiss on her collarbone. His lips slowly found hers, and the moment they met was unlike anything she had ever experienced. Astrid cried out as her release washed over her. Her body became limp, her leg only held around Hiccup's hips by his hand. He lowered it to the floor and laid his head on her chest, his arms encircling her waist.

A tear escaped her eye as she looked down at him through her blonde fringe. She wove her fingers through his dark hair and kissed the top of his head. "I love you," Astrid whispered, hoping that he hadn't heard the slight crack in her voice. Hiccup's wet green eyes found her face, and his lip quivered.

"I-I can't… damn the Verkmaðr **[1]**. I can't l-leave-" Astrid kissed away the single tear that had escaped his eye. She needed to be strong for Hiccup, even if she couldn't be strong for herself.

"No, they need you out there, babe. And I'll be right here when you come home," she said. It was difficult to accept the truth in her own words, but she wouldn't let him see how much it hurt her; not when he was so broken himself.

Hiccup pressed his face against her neck. "I-I love you. So, s-so much that it hurts," he choked out.

"I know, babe. I know." She took a deep breath to regain at least a small part of her composure. Her thumb stroked his cheek as she turned her head to gaze out the window, knowing that Eret would be looking for him soon. But until then she would cherish every moment, every glance of his emerald eyes, every word; even the ones that he couldn't speak. And she knew that he would do the same.

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 **[1]** Means "laborer" in Old Norse. Very fitting for a clan of ruthless, blood-thirsty Vikings. I used this word as a clan name for the enemy, for those who didn't quite understand.


End file.
